Recently, with high integration and high performance of a semiconductor device, mainstream of an exposure technique has been changed from use of a KrF (krypton fluoride) excimer laser to use of an ArF (argon fluoride) excimer laser, and immersion exposure and EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) exposure also have been discussed.
A resist material is also changed in association with the change of the light source, and a dry etching resistance property of the resist material constituting a mask is degraded. Therefore, resist collapse (resist degradation) is generated during dry etching, and morphology is roughened to roughen an edge of a transferred underlying pattern. In forming a line and space pattern, values of LER (Line Edge Roughness) and LWR (Line Width Roughness) are increased to cause a variation in threshold voltage of a transistor or degradation of reliability of an interconnection, which results in a problem in that device characteristics are degraded.
As described above, in the recent semiconductor device, the degradation of the dry etching resistance property of the resist material constituting the mask becomes a large problem with generation change of a lithography technique due to a finer design rule. This influences the degradation of the LER and LWR of the line and space pattern and a deformation of a hole pattern shape, and the characteristics and yield of the actual device are degraded. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the degraded characteristics and yield of the device.